Words Have Power

What stories are you telling yourself? Do you tell yourself you will achieve your goals? That your situation can improve? Or do you tell yourself you are stuck or that there is no way out?

We tell ourselves stories every day. It is how we are wired. What you value, what you believe, and ultimately, who you become are because of the stories you tell yourself.

Your words have power

One of the most popular self-help books in history is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Hill’s book is based around the idea that people who become successful have a clear vision (story) of who they want to be and what they want to accomplish, then repeat that vision out loud every single day. They are speaking their story into reality.

But this isn’t some voodoo, new-age BS. The idea that our words have power goes back thousands of years. In Proverbs, Solomon says, “words kill and words give life.” And the disciple James writes in James 3 that words can “accomplish nearly anything-or destroy it!”

The stories we tell ourselves form the way we view the world. They give us life or death, success or failure, courage or fear. They can either give us strength, freedom, and joy or they can make us powerless, imprisoned, and ashamed.

Don’t like your story?

Change it. You have been given the power to change your story. Start by getting present to what stories you are currently telling yourself. Then determine who you believe you are called/want to be, your preferred story, and write it down and repeat it out loud regularly.

In my opinion, a good preferred future is declarative, defining who you are in your preferred future. I like to start with ‘I am’ or ‘I have’ statements. By using these kinds of statements, you are using the power of your words to speak your preferred future into reality. These statements take a strong stance in defining your story.

It is good practice to frequently reflect on how you are showing up in life and find areas that are not in line with or are not moving you towards your preferred story. As you make this kind of reflection a habit, you will become better at seeing what stories are keeping you from your preferred future.

Don’t let life write your story for you. Be intentional about who you are becoming.

What stories have you been telling yourself that are keeping you from your preferred future?